An enchanting page-turner with strong appeal even for those new to the fantasy genre.
A brave rodent discovers her destiny.
Titch, a small mouseling, enjoys play-fighting with her even tinier companions, fluffy creatures known as pufflings. Her pal Huckleberry lazily observes, pointing out that nothing ever happens on the Plateau, the safest region in the land of Alluria. His offhand comment offers the perfect start to a story full of excitement. When a hare glides in on Da Vinci–style linen wings, a flurry of eel-like monsters called curseworms hot on his heels, Titch seizes the moment and saves the newcomer. The rescued creature introduces himself as Prince Vetiver of the Gilded Vale and declares Titch to be a Bravepaw—a warrior who can use the power of a magical stone to do great deeds. Wilkinson’s worldbuilding is robust: A map of Alluria and a Bravepaw prophesy precede the opening chapter, while the anthropomorphic cast boast monikers like Hyssop Buttonbrow. But the author holds focus tightly on Titch, a wonderfully relatable protagonist, and her personal quest, a narrative decision that makes this a particularly welcoming reading experience for genre newcomers. Naidu’s illustrations are unapologetically adorable, echoing both Don Bluth’s film The Secret of NIMH and Kazuo Iwamura’s 14 Forest Mice series. Bolded, oversize text offers added visual emphasis to important plot moments. With further series entries soon to come, readers will be eager to see Titch rise to her next challenge.
An enchanting page-turner with strong appeal even for those new to the fantasy genre. (Animal fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: March 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781665986588
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
Lively fun with animal friends.
Has Plum’s pep deserted him?
Several animals from the Athensville Zoo are on their way to visit an elementary school. Overconfident Itch the ningbing (an Australian marsupial), unaware that zookeeper Lizzie will be doing all the talking, looks forward to “lecturing eager young minds.” Plum, the usually chipper peacock, on the other hand, is anxious—maybe the schoolchildren won’t like him or he’ll get lost. So when they arrive at the school to find the students have been sent home due to a blizzard, Plum is relieved. The animals are left in a school gym for the night until three self-important class mice free them. Itch heads for the library to meet the learned turtle, but Plum reluctantly explores with his friends. When his anxiety peaks, they reassure him, and when the mice reject Meg, another peacock, as “borrrring” and uncool, they buoy her as well before everyone comes together to save Itch, who finds himself outside and stranded in a snowdrift. Unlike Leave It to Plum (2022), this is not a mystery, and the relationship focus shifts from Lizzie to the rodents, but the pace is brisk, and sequel seekers will be pleased to revisit familiar characters (if dismayed that Itch’s longing for knowledge leads to his downfall). In Phelan’s engaging grayscale pen-and-wash illustrations, Lizzie has short curly hair; text and art cue her as Latine.
Lively fun with animal friends. (how to draw Plum) (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-307920-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading.
When Franklin School principal Mr. Boone announces a pet-show fundraiser, white third-grader Cody—whose lack of skill and interest in academics is matched by keen enthusiasm for and knowledge of animals—discovers his time to shine.
As with other books in this series, the children and adults are believable and well-rounded. Even the dialogue is natural—no small feat for a text easily accessible to intermediate readers. Character growth occurs, organically and believably. Students occasionally, humorously, show annoyance with teachers: “He made mad squinty eyes at Mrs. Molina, which fortunately she didn’t see.” Readers will be kept entertained by Cody’s various problems and the eventual solutions. His problems include needing to raise $10 to enter one of his nine pets in the show (he really wants to enter all of them), his troublesome dog Angus—“a dog who ate homework—actually, who ate everything and then threw up afterward”—struggles with homework, and grappling with his best friend’s apparently uncaring behavior toward a squirrel. Serious values and issues are explored with a light touch. The cheery pencil illustrations show the school’s racially diverse population as well as the memorable image of Mr. Boone wearing an elephant costume. A minor oddity: why does a child so immersed in animal facts call his male chicken a rooster but his female chickens chickens?
Another winner from Mills, equally well suited to reading aloud and independent reading. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30223-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
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